Page 7 of Savoring Christmas (Sugarville Grove #8)

He smiled to himself as he typed. A very grumpy cat named Matilda. She’s currently giving me the stink eye from the bed. I’ve had her since law school. She showed up on my doorstep one day and I haven’t been able to shake her since.

Mia again. Matilda’s a great name. What does she look like?

He got up to snap a photo of Matilda lounging like a queen on her throne.

She opened her eyes, as if she knew her photo was about to be taken, surveying the world from gold eyes with an expression that suggested both quiet judgment and complete confidence in her own superiority.

Her broad, whiskered face carried an expression that could only be described as smug satisfaction, like she was quietly certain he existed only for her amusement.

She really did have the cutest face, even though he suspected she was secretly plotting his demise.

Logan: Here she is.

Mia: Aww. Very cute. Here’s Cannoli.

He pulled up the photo, zooming in to get a good look.

She was a bundle of fluff. A coat like swirled espresso and cream, with black curls swirled in caramel and snowy white.

A perfect patch of white crowned her forehead, like a dab of whipped cream.

A tiny black nose and soft, floppy ears framed her face.

Unlike Matilda, Cannoli stared at the camera with pure love in those big, round eyes.

Logan: That dog cannot be real. Nothing can be that cute.

Mia: Cannoli says thank you. She agrees.

Logan: Thanks again for tonight. Can’t wait for Thursday.

Mia: I look forward to it as well.

He hesitated for a moment before sending one more text.

Logan: Hey, one more thing. About Patty and the kids. Would you be willing to come out to my mom’s place tomorrow morning? We can talk through some ideas.

Mia: Are you sure she won’t mind?

Logan: My mom will be thrilled. Trust me. She loves any excuse to feed people.

Mia: Okay then. What time?

Logan: Nine?

Mia: Don’t you have to work?

Logan: I can go in late tomorrow. Since I work for myself and all.

He felt the urge to keep texting but didn’t want her to get the wrong impression. Which was what exactly? Never mind. He’d think about that later.

Logan: I’ll see you in the morning.

Mia: Sounds good.

Logan: Good night.

Mia: Night. XO

Hugs and kisses? Did she mean that just for him? Of course not. Don’t be an idiot. She probably always signed off that way.

But, darn, he really wanted to kiss her for real. He tossed his phone onto the bed, nearly hitting Matilda, who opened one eye and hissed at him.

“You’re fine,” Logan said to her. “Honestly, you should treat me better.”

Matilda answered by swiveling around to present him with her tail before giving his phone a sharp swat with her paw, sending it skidding dangerously close to the edge of the bed.

Logan dove for it, catching it just in time. “You’re a menace.”

Matilda closed her eyes like a queen satisfied with her work.

The next morning, Logan sat at the big kitchen table in his mother’s kitchen, marveling at how perky she was in the morning.

Grace had been up for hours by the time he’d arrived and had already put homemade muffins in the oven, fried up a heap of bacon, and completed the morning crossword from the local newspaper.

“Tell me about class last night.” His mother poured him a cup of coffee and set it in front of him. “Will you be cooking Christmas Eve dinner this year?”

“Very funny. I was just happy I didn’t set anything on fire.” Logan took a sip of his mom’s strong coffee.

“Luke mentioned you have a little crush on your teacher,” she said.

He groaned. “My brothers need to learn how to mind their own business.”

“That’s not about to happen in this family,” Grace said with a chuckle.

His dad sauntered into the kitchen, still buttoning up his flannel shirt, then greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek. “That coffee smells mighty good this morning.”

“It’s the same as every other morning, Walter,” she said, smiling up at her husband. “The muffins are still in the oven but there’s some bacon there on the plate if you need a little something before our planning session.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Walter snatched a few strips from the plate and joined Logan at the table. “How was class last night? Other than you acting just like your mother and finding a human project that needs saving?”

Logan told them about the lesson in sauce and how to sharpen knives properly, even cutting of onions. “But even more interesting were the other students. They all had very personal reasons for being there, all of which touched my heart.”

“Your cold, dead heart?” his father asked, eyes twinkling. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

“You’re both hilarious this morning,” Logan said.

“Logan has a crush on Mia,” Grace said.

“I do not have a crush on Mia,” Logan said more firmly than he felt. “She’s a very nice person. That’s all.”

“I see,” his dad replied.

“I mean, she is pretty and obviously accomplished, but I hardly notice,” Logan said.

His mother started laughing. A little too loudly.

“Even if I did like her, I don’t think the feelings would be returned,” Logan said.

“Why not?” His mother glared at him, with her hands on her hips, reminding him of Matilda. “Any woman would be lucky to have you. If you’d put yourself out there, you’d be snatched up immediately.”

“How exactly does one put themselves out there?” Logan asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe one of those dating sites or something?” she asked. “I hear everyone’s doing it now.”

“Mom, they’ve been doing it for some time now.” Logan chuckled.

“Regardless, I think you should ask her out.”

“Not yet. I have to feel her out a little better first,” Logan said.

“Your brothers were absolutely genius making you go to that class.” Grace thrummed her fingers against the countertop. “What better way to get to know her than in a nonthreatening environment surrounded by other people.”

“I have to agree,” Walter said.

Fortunately, Logan heard the crunch of tires on the gravel drive, bringing this particular conversation to a halt.

He glanced toward the window just in time to catch Mia pulling up, her little SUV slowing in front of the farmhouse.

A light layer of frost clung to the edges of her windshield, the pale winter sun glinting off it as she parked next to his car.

She sat there a second longer than necessary, adjusting her gloves, and Logan wondered if she was regretting her decision to come out to his family’s farm.

Hopefully not. Yet, he couldn’t be sure.

Mia was an enigma to him, both shy and assertive at the same time.

He’d love a chance to figure her out but wasn’t sure she would ever open up enough to let him in completely.

However, he was a Hayes, and that meant he would give it his best try.

“I’ll get the door,” Logan said, leaping to his feet.

He got there just as Mia knocked, yanking open the door to greet her.

“Hey there,” Logan said.

“Hi. Good morning.” Mia flushed and looked down at her adorably small feet, clad in a pair of riding boots. She had her hair down this morning, and her big brown eyes sparkled with good health.

“Come on in,” Logan said, holding the door open for her to pass by him. “My parents are in the kitchen.”

She stepped inside, shedding her thick coat, which he hung in the hall closet.

Then, they headed together toward the kitchen without speaking.

She was such a stunner, snatching his breath from his chest. He couldn’t help but glance at her shapely posterior in her slim-fitting jeans as he followed her into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Mia.” Walter rose from the table to greet her. “Great to see you again.”

“Thank you,” Mia said. “You too.”

“Morning, Mia,” Grace said, smiling as she pulled the tray of muffins from the oven. “Are you hungry? I’ve got muffins and bacon and I could fry up some eggs if you’d like?”

“Oh, thank you, but I don’t need any eggs. I didn’t expect breakfast,” Mia said. “But I won’t turn down a muffin. I’ve heard from more than a few people about Grace Hayes’ baked goods.”

“Dear me, I’m not accustomed to cooking for a real chef,” Grace said. “I hope you’ll be generous with your critique.”

“I live alone, Mrs. Hayes. I’m simply glad to eat someone else’s food.”

“Please, call me Grace. And would you like coffee?”

Mia nodded, and Walter poured her a mug while Grace slid a plate of warm muffins onto the table, the tops sparkling with sugar. Logan watched Mia take in the scene, that slight wariness in her eyes as she reached for a muffin.

Once everyone settled, Walter got right to the point. “So Logan tells us you two want to help Patty McDonald and her kids. Kris mentioned seeing them at the school last night when he dropped off the mail this morning. Said the little ones looked like they hadn’t had a proper meal in a while.”

Mia’s expression shifted, just enough for Logan to see the tug on her heart reflected in her eyes. “The way they gobbled down that meal tells me things are pretty scarce at home. I couldn’t stop thinking about them after we left. No child should go hungry.”

“I agree,” Grace said. “It’s such a shame. Patty’s doing the best she can but it can’t be easy to keep them fed and clothed. Child care alone can take a single mom’s whole paycheck”

“Kris says she works cleaning houses in addition to the janitorial work at the school,” Walter said. “I feel for her and those kids. She has to take them with her to the evening job at the school. After they’ve already had full days.”

“Yes, I can’t imagine they’re getting enough sleep if they’re with her until nine every evening,” Grace said.

Walter leaned back, folding his arms. “The food drive at the holidays helps but I’ve thought for years that it’s only a temporary fix. They need steady help, not just a basket of groceries at Christmas.”